—one class; therefore the contest is valid despite the variation, just as the different breeds of horses and camels vary among themselves. In the second situation, however, the two belong to entirely separate classes, so an archery match between them is invalid, just as a race between a horse and a camel would not be permissible.

Section
If an archery contract is concluded without specifying the type of bow, and the participants customarily use a particular kind, the contract is valid and the unrestricted wording is deemed to refer to that kind (1). If their customs differ, then:
• Should one type predominate, the contract is interpreted according to the predominant type.
• If no type predominates, the bow must be specified so that (2) any dispute is removed.

If they say, “We shall shoot with nushshab,” the phrase refers to the Persian bow, the bow currently used by the army, because nushshab (3) is the name of the arrows particular to it. If they say, “We shall shoot with nabl,” the wording is understood to mean the Arabian bow, for its arrows are called nabl. This applies provided there is no explicit stipulation and no consistent or prevailing custom to the contrary.

Section
Imam Ahmad (4) explicitly ruled that it is permissible to hold a competition using Persian bows,